Fulbright Scholar Advances Cultural Well-Being and Sustainable Design in Oman

As a Fulbright U.S. Scholar in 2024–2025, Genell Wells Ebbini, assistant professor of Interior Design in Purdue’s College of Liberal Arts, is leading a pioneering research initiative in the Sultanate of Oman that bridges design, culture, and health.

Her project, Optimizing Health and Well-being in the Sultanate of Oman’s Sustainable Built Environment, explores how cultural heritage, spatial belonging, and urban form influence population well-being and resilience. Conducted in collaboration with the University of Nizwa and aligned with Oman Vision 2040 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Ebbini’s work integrates academic research with on-the-ground community partnerships.

Through fieldwork, interviews, and site documentation across multiple governorates, Ebbini found that the built environment profoundly shapes human experience. Her research demonstrates that sensory familiarity, shared spaces, and cultural continuity play critical roles in promoting both health and social resilience.

From these insights, Ebbini developed the Cultural Well-being and Place (CWP) Instrument, a first-of-its-kind framework that translates people and environment relationships into measurable indicators for cultural sustainability. This tool is now being formalized into a peer-reviewed article and will be piloted through ongoing collaborations with Omani partners such as Al-Awalim LLC, Bara’ah Academy, and the University of Nizwa.

By merging research, professional training, and local engagement, Ebbini’s work sets a precedent for how design scholarship can directly contribute to community well-being and sustainable urban transformation. Her project embodies the global reach of Purdue’s liberal arts faculty and their commitment to creating meaningful, human-centered solutions for a rapidly changing world.